Going Home
by Aaronisme19
Summary: What if Izzie Stevens was right? What if Denny Duquette never died and she just thought he did? My take on what should have happened the night Denny was going to get his heart and what happens after. Because everyone deserves a happy ever after.
1. Going Home

**Ok, so Grey's anatomy ( I'm way behind I know) but anyway I basically fell in love with Denny Duquette, I mean the guy is perfect. I was so happy when he got his heart I mean he almost died a few times before he got it, then he had Izzie and everything was going to work out when BAM! Just like that the guy has a stroke and dies. What the hell? That is horrible, the writers are stupid. So then I watched Season five and now I'm really pissed off at the writers, you would think Izzie would actually be happy to see her dead fiancé, but no! She spends half the time doubting he is real then the other half (after having sex with him) telling him she hates him and how much she wishes he would leave. So yeah, sorry but come on writers what the fuck? Then she goes with Alex and I'm even more pissed off because she just should have died and went with Denny. So, I decided to write my own Denny/Izzie story. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy. If I did, something like this story would have happened to the Denny and Izzie storyline and not the crap they wrote!**

**Summary: What if Izzie Stevens was right? What if Denny Duquette never died and she just thought he did? My take on what should have happened the night Denny was going to get his heart and what happens after. Because everyone deserves a happy ever after.**

**" I can feel you. I can smell you. If you're dead, how come I can smell your skin? So I'm thinking, maybe you're not dead. Maybe that was the part of me that was crazy, that part that thought you died. Maybe this is the not crazy part. You are still alive, right? That's it."**

**- Izzie Stevens**

Izzie Stevens sighed; it had been a long and tiring day of work and all she wanted to do was go home; Glancing at the clock noting she only had half a minute left to go before she could leave, Izzie smiled. Quickly, she went to the locker room to grab her coat and keys; she opted for keeping the scrubs on until she got home.

Home, that word stuck a cord. Where is home? She mused as she made her way out of the locker room. Was it here in this hospital? Was it at her new apartment? Was it back in Seattle? At Seattle Grace Hospital? Was it with Alex...?

Deep down Izzie knew the answer; she knew that no matter what happened, home would always be Denny. He was her home. And now that he was gone, gone for good thanks to the surgery. She knew she'd never feel at home ever again in her life.

Denny. God she missed him, ached for him. Why she wanted to live, wanted to try and actually have a life without him was beyond her. At least when she had the tumor she could still see him, and sure, she swore she felt his presence now and again but it didn't even compare to feeling his body against hers. His lips engulfing hers and his arms securing her body to his. The soft lullaby of his heart beat beating against his chest into her ear as he held her close. She had no idea why she was so mean to him. Or why she pushed him away when all he was doing was being there for her, waiting for her to come back to him. She promised herself that one day, when she found herself back into his arms she would apologize and spend the rest of her eternity making sure he knew how much she loved him.

Denny was her home and he always would be, it was as simple as that. Now that he was officially gone Izzie saw the world in a new dim light. She supposed its true, once you lose something you don't actually know how much you'll miss it until its gone, and the fact that she was actually missing a tumor was a little too much for Izzie to handle. So, she ignored it. She pretended she was content with her life, she pretended she was happy.

She realized herself and Alex would never work out, sure she loved him but not like Denny, never like Denny. She told herself that she could love Alex that way, one day. But after awhile she got tired of lying to herself. She knew she had to leave Seattle Grace because it all reminded her of what she could have had. Of opportunities lost, both of them.

Now she was in a different state, far away from her friends, from her home (Denny) and from the life she could have had. Her new job was good, it paid the bills and she got to help people, she got to save lives. But every life saved was a soft reminder of the people she lost; she vaguely wondered how much longer she could take under the pressure before she cracked.

As the doors opened and she stepped out into the darkness of the night, the cold breeze hitting her body in a loving way made Izzie smile. She had a feeling it was going to be a good night. Looking down the street she spotted her car and made her way towards it. Getting in her car quickly she heard someone whisper her name but quickly shook the thought from her head and started driving. "You killed him Izzie, twice. He's not coming back" she said to herself painfully.

The drive home was long and boring; Izzie concentrated on the road, focusing all her energy on the black tar rolling beneath her. Once home, she pulled across the street since there was no other parking spot and got out of the car. As she stepped out of the car, she felt a chill run down her spine, but , she ignored it and began crossing the street. Then, it all happened so fast; she was on her way to her apartment when she heard a voice, his voice. The voice that sent shivers down her spine and made her heart soar, franticly she spun on her heel trying to find him but no one was there. "Izzie!" Spinning once more she saw him, standing there in all his glory, he was in a white long sleeved shirt with blue jeans. "Denny!" she said softly. Denny smiled painfully at her before saying "I'm sorry" "for what?" Izzie wanted to ask but before the words even left her mouth Denny started to glow a bright light before something banged into her.

Startled Izzie tried to get a grip on what happened. She vaguely realized she was lying on the ground and blood was pouring from her mouth and head. She heard voices "Oh God someone call an ambulance!" so I got hit by a car?" Izzie thought, "Yeah, you got hit by a car" a voice answered. "Denny?" Izzie asked, she tried to get up but could not. "Where are you?" "Right here" he answered suddenly appearing on the ground next to her. "I said I'm here for you and I always will be"

She felt tears in her eyes but couldn't decide what she's crying for. "So, you forgive me?" Denny looked down and grabbed her hand in his and bringing it up to rest to his chest before kissing it softly "I was never mad, there is nothing to forgive" he replied after a moment. Izzie felt happiness swell up in her heart. "And you still love me right?" Denny looked at her for a moment then turned on his side and reached over to clean away the blood and tears on her face. "Always" Then he reached down and kissed her, and her world burned hot white.

Izzie woke up in a white room with Denny Standing next to her " And to think I fought cancer but a year later I die in a car accident" Denny smiled and shook his head. "Izzie you're not dead, you're going home"

He reached for her and kissed her once more, but this time her world fell into darkness.

**Ok,I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now but I promise the next chapter will explain all. Anyway please review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Waking up

BEEP

BEEP…BEEP

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP

What's going on? Did I fall asleep in the on call room again? Izzie sleepily shook herself awake, as she opened her eyes she found herself lying in a hospital bed with tubes and wires stuck to her and monitors beeping off. She heard voices but couldn't place quite them; everything was so white and loud. Ok Izzie, you were in a car crash, that's why you're here. You're OK. You're alive. Somehow that statement did little to reassure her and Izzie felt a deep pain of regret and unhappiness that she didn't die.

What is going on here? Why can't I breathe!

Gasping Suddenly at the lack of intake in air, Izzie was surprised to see a tube down her throat when suddenly she heard a voice sounding from the room

"Shit…Izzie, someone get that tube out of her!" Said the voice of Christina Yang. Izzie gave her a questioning look. Why is Christina here?

"Someone go get him!". Yelled Meredith Gray. Meredith's here too?

" Ok Iz, were going to take this out ok, hold on" suddenly the tube slid out of her throat causing her to cough and drool. Taking in a huge breath Izzie calmed down as did the monitor checking her heart beat. Before Izzie could ask either of the doctors what was wrong she heard someone running and yelling down the hall. The voice sounded oddly familiar but she knew not to trust herself when it comes to hearing things, after all it was because she thought she heard his voice that she ended up in a hospital after all.

Suddenly the figure reached her door and flung it open. Izzie gasped in shock; there, standing in all his glory, Denny Duquette. He looked tired, his hair was longer and his face looked haggard. He looked as if he hasn't slept in days and his eyes were filled with tears. " Izzie" he said, a mix of pain and happiness in his voice. " Denny" Izzie sobbed, her voice came out in a harsh rasp, Denny smiled and rushed over to her side. " Baby, Honey, I'm here. Are you ok? How do you feel? He asked his voice and eyes filled with worry. " Denny" Izzie repeated tears falling freely from her eyes. I must be dead but oh God not Christina and Meredith too!

" Izzie, are you ok?" Denny questioned yet again. "Denny" Izzie repeated once more. " oh Izzie" Denny said leaning down and wrapping her in his arms. Holding her tight while she cried into his shoulder.

Christina and Meredith watched as Izzie cried hysterically. "I'm going to go" said Christina pointing her finger towards the door before rushing out of the room. Meredith rolled her eyes before walking out of the room after her eccentric friend.

"Denny" Izzie whispered as she griped Denny's shoulders tighter pulling him against her.

"I'm right here" Denny said reassuringly. Denny looked at her with a huge smile on her face "I thought you were gone, I thought I lost you" he said pain filling his voice as the tears in his eyes began to fall. Izzie stared at him disbelievingly "Am…am I dead?" Denny gave her an odd look "No, you just woke- Iz, what do you think happened to you?" Without missing a beat Izzie replied " I was hit by a car, I was on my way home when I heard your voice and I was hit by a car. You were with me the whole time; you said I was going home" Denny gave her a worried look " Iz, Darling you've been here in a coma for about 3 months now"

"What?" she started to feel a headache coming on but ignored it. "Denny how did I end up in a coma, was it from the car? And how are you here? Are the tumors back, is that why I can see you? But why can Cristina and Meredith, oh my god are they dead too?

"Honey calm down, what are you talking about? I'm here because I care about you, No Christina and Meredith are not dead and why wouldn't anyone be able to see me? And what tumors?

"I think you better explain what you know first, because obviously we have no idea what each other is talking about" Denny nodded and pulled up a chair. He gave her a smile before continuing "well I guess I'll just start at the beginning. So, as you know It was the day of my heart transplant, just as I was about to get it someone else on the donors list got bumped ahead. We were both devastated and you eventually came up with a plan to cut my LV tube so that I would get worse… you with me so far?"

Izzie grimaced but nodded "yep"

"Ok, well you begged... and you said you loved me" A smile fell on Denny's lips " I was so happy when you said it but I felt like crap for making you fall for me when I was probably going to die. Anyway I agreed to your plan and just as we were about to do it Burke called you about the heart, apparently the guy ahead of me died before they could get the heart to him. Burke asked you to go pick it up and he said he'd start prepping me for surgery. We were both so happy and we kissed, I asked you to marry me and you said yes" Again Denny smiled at the memory.

"So, while I was getting prepped you ran over and got the heart, on your way back you were shooting right outside the hospital, you were rushed to the E.R while the heart was rushed up to me. They got the bullet out but you slipped into a coma, I made it through the heart surgery and was in recovery. When I found out what happened I was heartbroken, I tried to sneak out of my room everyday to try and see you, eventually Dr. Bailey had enough of me and brought your bed in with mine. I watched you day and night, I read you my journal and books and when I got better to be discharged I returned everyday during visiting hours for you"

"Oh, Denny" Izzie sobbed as she grabbed onto his arm. "What's wrong?" he asked but she wouldn't answer, she just pulled him towards her and began crying in his hands. "Wait" Denny pulled himself out of her grasp then moved to lay on the bed with her, she cried into his chest. " I thought I lost you" she said suddenly then she fell asleep. Sighing Denny pulled her closer to himself before replying "I thought I lost you too"

**Tell me what you think and chapter three is on its way.**


	3. My Side Of The Story

**Wow. Long time no talk guys. Sorry about that, I don't really have anything to say about it. I'm a horrible author I know. I've recently found my muse surrounding this story thanks for my creative writing class. It seems I'm finally started to get back into the writing goove. Just want to say a quick thank you to anyone who followed, favored or reviewed the story. Thank you! Anyway I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Aaron.**

Izzie woke up and looked around. _Why am I here? _She thought as she sat up in bed. She looked around the hospital bed worriedly as she tried to remember why she was there. After a few minutes it hit her. _Denny._ "Denny" she spoke softly as she looked around the bed; a little louder she spoke again "Denny" no answer. _Was it all a dream?_ She thought a lump forming in her throat and her heart beginning to feel heavy. "DENNY" she practically screamed. Her heart began pounding and the monitor went crazy, her throat began to close.

Just as she was about to lose all control the door opened and in stepped Denny whistling with a smile on his face, a tray with coffee on it and a white paper bag. When he seen her he put down the stuff on the table next to her bed and ran over to her "What's wrong?" he asked as he grabbed and pulled her against him. She felt the anchor pulling her heart down let up as she pressed herself against him. _He's alive, he's right here. _She reminded herself as she tried to speak. "Izzie. You okay?" She nodded still trying to find her voice.

"I'm sorry. I um, I thought last night might have been a dream and you were dead" Denny shook his head and kissed her lips softly. "Baby, I'm right here. Now do you want to tell me what you think happened?" he asked rubbing her shoulders. "No, not right now, later okay?" Disappointed but understanding Denny nodded "Okay Babe, whatever you want."

The newly reunited couple spent the day in each other's arms, both afraid that if they would leave the other would disappear again. Denny yawned and stood to stretch. "Hey I'm kind of hungry, are you?" Izzie nodded "Yeah can you please go to the cafeteria and get some food?" Denny nodded and kissed her on her cheek. As he reached the door he turned and looked at her 'I love you" She smiled from her seated position on the bed "I love you too" They looked at each other and smiled once more before Denny walked out.

As the door closed Izzie sighed, everything was so crazy. The life she thought she had was nothing but a dream and everything she knew was a lie. _But it felt so real_ She thought as she looked at her hand. _It felt as real as all of this, looked as real as it is now. How could it all have just been a dream?_ Struggled as she might Izzie could not remember the events Denny spoke of. All she remembered was cutting his LV tube and pumping his heart, then dealing with her friends and Dr. Bailey. She shivered. She remembered the last time she heard his voice, he had said all he wanted was her. He said that was all he needed. She remembered the feeling of hearing him confirm his feelings for her and how he wanted to marry her. She remembered the last time she saw his smiling face as she whispered the words "I do". It was something she knew she would never forget, no matter how unreal it really was.

She thought of when she got home, how happy she was. She wanted to look good. She wanted to look good for Denny. _I love him._ She remembered thinking as she paced though her bedroom trying on her assortment of dresses. Finally, after hours of trying she found it. It was the perfect shade of pink and it fit her body perfectly. She did her hair elegantly, she wanted to look perfect. If only she knew her lover was dying in his bed as she was looking in the mirror at herself. Smiling oblivious to the fact that her world was ending, was dying. That long walk down the corridor still haunts her; she remembers walking out of that elevator feeling on top of the world. She remembers seeing a crowd of interns by Denny's door and feeling a pit in her stomach arise. She remembers the looks on the intern's faces as she tried to get them to move, she pushed them all out of her way to find the still form of Denny Duquette. _No!_ She thought and ran to him, her inner doctor taking control of her mind, she moved swiftly across the room and looked for a pulse, a sign that this wasn't true. She brought her head to his heart and heard nothing, his skin was could and her mind was numb. It hit her like a 10 ton car going towards her at 100 mph. Denny Duquette had died, he was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. She was too late to help him._ I was too late. _Ice cold sadness filled her being as she laid next to her frozen prince. She placed her head to his heart and cried yelling at anyone who tried to pull her away.

The sudden slam of the door brought her out of her thoughts as she looked to see Denny smiling at her with a bag of food. Try as she might she could not stop a tear from escaping down her face. "Are you okay?" Denny asked as he pulled up a chair and put the food on the table. Izzie nodded wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes I'm fine, just…thinking" Denny looked at her before sighing and sitting down. "You know eventually you will have to tell me, right?" "Yes, I know. After we eat. Okay?" The two ate in comfortable silence. Both wanting to know what was on the others mind but afraid to ask. After they finished Denny climbed into the small hospital bed next to her. "Dr. Bailey said I could stay here with you as long as you need, so we don't need to worry about visiting hours" " That's good" Izzie said snuggling next to Denny. He smiled and put his arm around her. "I love you so much" Izzie smiled up at him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I know I love you too" They smiled at each other and cuddled more.

Denny ran his fingers though his hair while he watched Izzie "So, are you ready to talk about it?" Izzie sighed "yeah" "Okay so what happened?" Denny asked his voice full of genuine curiosity. " I remember things differently than you do the night we planned to cut your LV tube. Do you still remember how I told you I loved you?" Denny smiled sadly "Yes, you said I had to do it for you because you would hate me for making me love you. It was the happiest yet saddest thing I had ever heard. I still think about it" His voice trailed off leaving no more explanation.

"Okay well I'm glad we both remember that. So, in my dream or whatever you want to call it, I did cut the LV tube and Gorge walked in freaked out, all my friends and Dr. Bailey knew what was going on but I didn't care. I never did, I just wanted to keep you alive, that was all I cared about. Soon a new heart was on it's way and I never stopped pumping your heart, you were a real trooper though all of this by the way. Then the heart came, we rushed you into surgery and I sat on the ground waiting, praying that you would make it. You did, Denny you did it was perfect" Izzie felt a few tears begin to fall and wiped them off gently.

" I stayed with you in the hospital while you were in recovery, no one said who cut the LV tube and the chief was looking into it to find out who did it. The next day you woke up and I was there waiting for you by the door to your room. I thought that maybe because you had your new heart now you didn't want or need me. You told me otherwise, you said all you wanted was me and you asked me to marry you. I said I would and everything was great." Again more tears fell and Izzie brought a shaky hand up to her face " The chief was throwing a prom, doctors were expected to dress up so I went home happy as ever and got dressed." The words were getting harder and harder for Izzie to say but she pressed one. Denny had to know what she did.

" I tried on three dresses and did my hair four times, by the end of it I wore a pink dress and had my hair in an up do. When I got back to the hospital I figured I would check on you to see how you were doing. I walked down that long corridor to your room and I was happy. So happy." Izzie felt her heart grow heavy with pain and had to remind herself that Denny was right there with her holding her close. He seemed to sense her discomfort and held her tighter in his arms. "You're okay Iz, I'm right here" Izzie let out a long breath "I walked down the corridor and there was a crowd of interns by your door, I ran though them and found you laying there. Your skin cold as ice and your heart monitor only in a long straight line. I ran to you and tried everything I could think of to bring you back, but there was no way. It was too late. I was too late. You were dead" "Oh Izzie" Denny said as he held her closer. "I was too late, I took too long trying on those dam dresses and doing my stupid hair, maybe if I was there sooner we would have caught the stroke and saved you. Maybe if I wasn't so stupid you would have lived"

Izzie was crying at this point, her breath coming out in gut wrenching sobs as she turned and held Denny close. "I held you like this, except I heard no heart beat. I cried and cried until I couldn't anymore. Meredith and the gang came in but I wouldn't let them take me away from you. I told them how ironic how you were just proposing and now you were off to the morgue. Alex said that that body wasn't you anymore, that you were gone. He pulled me off of you and I cried into his shoulder as they took your body away"

Once again Izzie felt the rush of numbness after Denny was gone. It was like she was back in her "Dream" again and she felt the same way as she did before. The only thing that kept her afloat the sea of depression that was threatening to sink her was Denny's strong heartbeat filling her head and keeping in tune with her heart.

"For the next three days I did nothing but cry. I kept the dress on and lay on the bathroom floor. After talks and talks from my friends I was able to get up and face the day, but it was not the same. It was never the same. I met you dad and he thought I was just mooching you for your money but we talked and he realized that I loved you. He gave me his old voice mail machine; it had a message on it. The last message you ever sent them. You said you were buying them tickets to come out and see you. You said you met an amazing girl and that you were in love with her. You said everything would change. I cried and cried. Your dad also said you left me in your will and you gave me a large amount of money I didn't even know you had. I donated it to the hospital and they set up a wing in your honor"

" A few months later things got a little easer. I felt your presence everywhere I went but it would be small moments. I thought I would see you down the hallway or feel you breathe on my skin when I was sleeping. Or sometimes I would walk down a hallway and smell you. I knew then that you were with me always and wanted me to continue living me life. So I tried. I had a weird fling with Gorge that didn't last long and then me and Alex got back together. I told myself that I could be happy with him but I was wrong. Then one day I actually saw you again. I mean I seen you and I felt you and you were there. It was amazing. We were together again in more ways than before and I loved it. But I knew something was wrong with me and I still kept my relationship with Alex. With your help I realized that I had a tumor and had it operated on. I stopped seeing you. You were gone again and it was like the first time you died all over again. I broke up with Alex and left Seattle all together. I kept rear touch with everyone back home. I just couldn't deal with them.

They brought up too many memories. I slowly began hating myself for taking the tumor out. I mean at least then I could see you. I didn't really talk to people at my new hospital and just focused on my patents. I never dealt with heart patients again though; I just couldn't look at them. Then one night I was walking out of my car over to my new apartment when you appeared. You said you were sorry and then I got hit by a car. Blood was poring out of my mouth but you appeared next to me and all the pain went away. You kissed me and my world turned black. I woke up in a room of white with you and you said I was going home then you kissed me again and everything became white. Then I opened my eyes and Meredith was there and then I saw you again. And now I'm here"

Izzie finished her story with a shaky breath as tears trickled down her face. Denny pulled her chin towards him and gently wiped the tears away before grabbing her chin and capturing her lips in his. Her world exploded, all the pain and fear she felt stopped all she felt was Denny; all she cared for was Denny. Her world had come back to her and she would never let him go.


End file.
